Ooh! I Want One! What Would Your Rules Be?

In my blog surfing today, I stumbled across this craft idea on We Are That Family and saw her inspiration at The Pleated Poppy. I love, love, love it and can't wait to make my own. You gotta go see it.

After reading more about the project here, I've been contemplating What do I want our family rules to be?

I love some of the rules on the Pleated Poppy, but before I go commit them all to canvas, I want to think through What is our family all about?

One of my favorites from her board was ENCOURAGE YOUR SIBLINGS...SHARE IN THEIR JOY This is a concept I've been trying to teach my kids. I really like the way this is worded.

So I'm curious- What rules would you put on your family rules board?

Get me to Michael's, I got to get my craft on. : )

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Tenderly Pursued by Immanuel

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 (New Living Translation)

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

Jennifer spoke at the conference I went to this summer in North Carolina. She's a very special woman. When I shook her hand, I was struck by how beautiful she is inside and out. Jesus shines through her.

Here's a little about here from her website:

“It is well with my soul.”

For Jennifer Rothschild, these words are much more than the lyrics from a familiar hymn; they represent a foundation upon which many life lessons have been learned…in the dark

At the young age of fifteen, Jennifer was diagnosed with a rare, degenerative eye disease that would eventually steal her sight. It was more than a turning point for the Miami, Fl, native. Her dreams of becoming a commercial artist and cartoonist faded. Words and music have replaced her canvas and palette for more than 25 years.

I hope the words she spoke today rang true in your heart today like it did in mine. I'm so thankful for how God has been reminding me of His love for me. He loves you, too.

You are tenderly pursued. God is wooing you to Him. How will you respond?

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Hey Dad! I Finally Met the Infamous Wooden Indian!

Growing up, my dad was full of expressions that will always remain vividly in my childhood memories. Where he picked up some of these gems is still a mystery to me.

I already told you that he thought I was "Slower than a seven-year-itch!"

And when I was disappointed or thought life was unfair?

"Tough titty said the kitty when the milk ran dry!" was his compassionate response.

There are others, some I'm afraid are unmentionable, and some I'm still trying to figure out what they mean. : )

But a common one I heard, whenever little girl chattiness set in was, "Becky! You would drive a wooden indian nuts!"

Huh? What's a wooden indian?

Well, Dad, now I can say that he and I have been formally introduced!

King Charming and I went out in the country to see a house we thought might be too good of an opportunity to pass up.

(It WASN'T!!!! It was beyond words horrible, and definitely not worth leaving our beloved neighbors for)

While we were trekking through the mini orchard, lo and behold, laying on the ground looking just as exasperated at me as I imagined he would, was a large wooden indian!

I apologized for any agony I might have caused him in the past, and then snapped this photo to share with you and Dad.

He looked like a pretty patient fellow, but there's just so much little girl chattering a carved piece of wood can withstand. : )

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A Sign of the Times

Littlest Princess came downstairs this morning and said, "My dollies need their vaccinations, Mommy."

It is the sign of the times when little girls aren't playing house anymore, but are setting up make-believe vaccination clinics in your living room instead. : )

I believe our family is on the mend. I hope.

Saturday afternoon, we had a super fun fall day at the corn maze, and I thought we had reached the

light at the end of the sick tunnel.


But alas, Sunday morning, Littlest Princess woke up with her own fever, sore throat, and cough. She's home from school and already seems better than yesterday.

Prince Charming is finally better, laughing and smiling again. It is so great to have my boy back.

And of course he's well enough to be pestering assisting his sister with unwanted help at her vaccination clinic.

Ah, the fun of pesky little brothers grabbing your stuff when you are busy with serious make-believe! : )

I'm on the road to recovery, trying to get my strength and energy back, and trying to stay awake.

Oldest Princess started this whole thing, so King Charming is the only one left. He claims he has studly super immunity, so hopefully it will skip him all together, and our family can return to normal.

I'm thanking God that if this was the dreaded swine flu, that we made it through with pretty mild symptoms.

I hope you and yours are staying healthy. If not, feel free to stop

by and Littlest Princess and Prince Charming will be happy to give you a shot. : )

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I'm still here...

sort of. : )

I haven't been feeling well for the last two weeks, and what started out as a bad cold, just doesn't seem to be getting any better. I keep thinking, I'm not that sick, but I'm having a hard time keeping up on anything. All I want to do is sleep. And I wish that person who is trying to drill a hole in the middle of my forehead would knock it off! : )

I think it is probably time for a trip to the doctor. I'm sorry I've neglected all of you, especially those who are doing the 10 Pound Challenge with me. Don't give up on me!

Be back soon!

Love,

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W.O.W. Results- I Painted! : )

I'm a wannabe, but I had fun!

I didn't know what I was going to paint exactly, just that I was itching to be creative. So, I grabbed some acrylic paints, brushes, stencils, and the value double pack of canvases at Michael's and pretended I was a little kid again. I searched the Internet for inspiration and then just started paining. You gotta try it! It is so much fun!

The view above Prince Charming's dresser last week:

Here it is this week:

And Papa's handsome picture that was once in a boring white $2 frame, is now a $3 frame because I added some Fire Engine Red paint to it. : )

Before:

After:

And this guy is no longer sitting on the floor:

It's hanging on the wall:

Woo-Hoo. What a fun project! Thank you, Heidi and Emily for playing along with me and for the others of you who cheered me on.

I tried to take a painting class once, and I think the instructor had a hard time not laughing me out of the class. It was fun to try this and not need it to look like anything, just a little token of love from a mommy to her boy.

My kitchen table and floor were an art studio for the week. And I had to paint at night when kids were asleep who wanted desperately to HELP me with my project.

Now the girls want paintings for their rooms. A ball is one thing...painting Shawn Johnson and a puppy dog is another!

What do you think, Prince Charming. Do you like your room?

How did your projects go?

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In the Beginning...

With an hour to kill sitting in the bleachers at my daughter's gymnastics lesson, I decided it would be a good time to finish up my homework for Bible Study the next morning. I pulled out my copy of Lord, I Want to Know You by Kay Arthur, my favorite pen, and my shiny new, green, spiral notebook, and settled in to study.

As I read the chapter, two questions the author asked jumped out at me:

1. Why do you think it is important to know Him as Creator?

And

2. What role has God had in your life?

Drowning out the noisy gym, I let my mind chew on these questions for awhile. Why is it important to remember He is the Creator? I asked myself. And I wondered if someone asked, What role has God played in your life? how I would answer.

I opened up my new notebook and put my favorite pen to work brainstorming. Here are some of my disorganized thoughts on these two questions:

• Knowing Him as Creator, reminds me of His power. The same One who created stars so large I cannot fathom them, and who's very fingerprints are all over the tiniest of cells my eyes cannot even see, is the same One who knows me AND He is knowable. Amazing! This knowledge leads to worship and gratitude.
• Knowing Him as Creator leads to humility. I am reminded that I am created, He is my Creator, therefore I submit to Him, to His will, His ways, and have no right to dictate how things should be. (Job 38) I don't even know enough to know how He does the simplest of things in creation, how can I then tell Him how to run my life?
• Knowing Him as Creator, reminds me that He is worthy of my trust. As my eyes sees all that He has made around me, and as I'm reminded of how mighty He is, how powerful that He could speak life into existence, I'm no longer anxious or afraid. I am His.

And how would I respond to what role God has played in my life? Well....that would take a very long book to write. : ) But here is a shorthand list:

• He had a plan for me, my life, my purpose, and my salvation before the foundation of the Earth.
• He created me. Perfectly. Even with my imperfections. He allowed my left eye to be small and blind for a purpose and my body, my personality, my mind, everything to be formed according to those plans and purposes He had for me before time began.
• He called me and accepted my little girl invitation to come into my life and be my Savior.
• He directed my life, but gave me free will to decide to love and follow Him.
• He forgave me every time I strayed, and welcomed me back with open arms. (Still does)
• Allowed trials, hard things to draw me to a deeper relationship with Him, more reliance on Him, a stronger character, and an ability to comfort and minister to other people in a way I would never have been able to do if I hadn't been there myself. During all of it, He carried me and comforted me.
• He healed my broken heart and made me whole again
• He gave me hope, purpose, and eternity.
• He filled me with peace that is unexplainable and completely outside of the circumstances in my life.
• He loves me with a love that NO ONE and NO THING can ever take away from me.
• He is my everything, my very reason for existing.

Now it's your turn. Because meditating on these two questions blessed me so much this week, I wanted to deviate from my regular devotion format and encourage you to contemplate these questions yourself this week. Feel free to use the comment section to do some brainstorming and sharing of your own. It would be awesome for me to read what your thinking about our Creator.

Love,

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Time to W.O.W. Again!

It's that time again! Ready to W.O.W. with me? I hope so!

Do you have something you've wanted to get done but keep procrastinating? Join me this week and let us cheer you on. (Browse the past W.O.W. posts to get an idea of what it's all about, and then come back here and join in the fun)

Last month, Heidi did a great job with scrapbooking and salsa making and won the coffee prize.

(Which probably hasn't shown up in her mailbox yet. Sorry, Heidi. Thanks for being patient with me! Should be there soon.)

Maybe you will be the winner this time!

Here's what I'm up to this week:

I'm back in Prince Charming's room this week. I've mentioned that I've been reading Nester's "31 Days to a Better Dressed Nest" and on Day 5, she told us all to "paint something."

So within one week that's exactly what I'm going to do. : )

At first, I thought about my coffee table, but I'm not sure I'm brave enough for that quite yet. I've been itching to "create" something lately, so being told to paint something seemed like the perfect opportunity.

During a past W.O.W. Challenge, I finished Prince Charming's bedroom. But it actually isn't all the way done.

This is the view over his dresser:

A Bare Wall. : )

This week, I'm going to get creative and something will be painted and above that dresser. I think it will involve a canvas, a paintbrush, and some paint. Since I don't even know what it is going to be yet, you'll have to come back next Wednesday for the big reveal.

I'd also like to get this off the floor and hung up on the wall:

And I picked up this picture frame during one of my treasure hunting sprees, but want to liven it up a little, so I also plan to paint the outside edge red:

Look at all the painting I'm doing! : )

What would you like to accomplish in just one week's time? Let's us know in the comments section or link up to your blog and we'll all cheer each other on throughout the week. Next Wednesday, I'll post my results and you can tell us how you did. One person will win a Starbucks card for you to buy a drink on me.

Have fun and don't forget the cheering each other on part! : )

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OK- We're On for TWO Challenges

Judging from the poll on the sidebar, it looks like this will be a good week for another W.O.W. Challenge. Be on the lookout for something to get done in just one week. We'll cheer you on starting Wednesday. Check in on Wednesday for the W.O.W. kickoff.

AND

Many of you expressed interest in joining me to lose 10 pounds. I'm committing to losing ten pounds before Thanksgiving and am so glad I will have some partners in that endeavor. If you are interested in being a part of "Ten Pound Tuesday" stop by my fitness blog tomorrow for details and the kick off to that challenge. Losing weight is hard work, but I think helping and supporting each other will be great, and maybe we can add a little fun to it, too. See you tomorrow!

Love,

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Being Stretched

Man this has been a week of challenging Becky- a week of eating humble pie and seeing areas I need to grow in.

Example Number One:

On Wednesday, I shared with my Bible Study group how I'm really learning that I don't have to be a slave to food. I told them how inspired I've been by Romans 6, and how we are told we no longer have to be slaves to sin, and that we will be slaves to whatever we allow to Master us. Then guess what I started doing as soon as I got home from Bible Study? EATING. : (

Example Number Two:

Also on Wednesday, I wrote this blog post about how sweet and grateful my little princess is. Then yesterday we had a HORRIBLE day. Littlest Princess got into a lot of trouble with her daddy over her LACK OF GRATITUDE.

Geesh! I should have kept my mouth shut on Wednesday. : )

On a lighter note- I'm loving Nester's 31 Days to a Better Dressed Nest. I got up this morning excited to see what Day 3's assignment was going to be, hoping it wouldn't be as "stretching" for me as the first two days. But, it was even harder.

Yesterday's assignment was to move something to a new location in the house. Doesn't she realize how hard it was for me to figure out where everything belonged in the first place? Never mind that nothing has moved in the last 5 years since we moved in. I'm resistant to change. : )

And today's assignment was to add something living to each room, like a plant or fresh flowers. Ugh. I have the brownest, blackest thumb you've ever seen. Only one plant has ever survived being owned by me and it is hanging on by a thread.

But all this stretching is good for me. I'm learning humility and flexibility. So forget that I said I'm doing so well with eating. Forget that I said my kids are so grateful. The truth is, food is a constant temptation, and my kids have a long way to go in developing grateful hearts. Turns out they are sinners like the rest of us. : )

And while I'm confessing:

Although I never take a picture of it for this blog, my house is often very messy.
And every time it seems I'm sooo creative, you can bet I probably stole the idea from someone else.

OK. Just wanted to keep it real. I'm off to find something to move to a new location in the house and then out to find some low maintenance plants. Pray for their survival. : )

Happy Weekend!

Love,

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Three Quick Things...

1. Could you take a quick moment to answer my poll on the sidebar? Thanks! : )

2. I have 9 pounds to go to reach my weight loss goal, and I'm in serious need of some motivation/encouragement to make it to the end. I'm not exactly sure what I've got planned, but I was wondering if there are any other readers out there interested in supporting each other on my fitness blog to lose 10 pounds?

They could be your first 10, to get you jumped started, they might just be 10 that you've been packing around for awhile and know you'd feel better to kiss them goodbye, or you might be like me, 10 pounds away from a goal you've been working toward for a long time and need a push to cross the finish line. I just think it would be fun to do some kind of challenge, or book club, or support group, or something to give us all the accountability and support we need. Anyone out there interested or possibly interested? I'll come up with more details soon and let me know if you have some fun ideas. As always, the focus will be lasting change, not quick fixes. (Who wants those 10 pounds back at the end? I don't!) : )

3. Nester is starting a new series on her blog this month called "31 Days to a Better Dressed Nest." Sounds like fun and thought some of you domestic divas out there might be interested.

Happy Thursday!

Love,

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